Gocta Natura
Breakfast is served with a view of Gocta Falls.
Gocta Natura has some of the most beautiful cabins in Peru.
Gocta Natura’s six cabins are dotted throughout the property’s forest near the village of Cocachimba, most with a captivating view of Gocta Falls. Check their website for details of each cabin.
My cabin was named Tangara, the Spanish name for tanagers, some of the world’s most colorful birds. My cabin also had a row of flowering verbena, which attracted hummingbirds. Though the surrounding nature is what people go to Cocachimba for, the cabins, lodge, food and staff are so nice that I’d rave about them even if they were surrounded by parking lots.
Tea Time at Gocta Natura
I loved the homemade treats left in my cabin each afternoon. I had tea in the evening but saved the cold brew concentrate for the next morning so I could have coffee in bed, with a view of Gocta Falls.
Even after being developed for tourism, Cocachimba is still a charming village and Gocta Falls still feels wild.
There are no parking lots in Cocachimba.
Many roads are still unpaved, shops are small and hotels tend to be boutique. It’s a complete change for the village and one that residents welcome. In the 1980s the forest was cut down to grow coca, which left the land stripped and poisoned with the heavy fertilizers and pesticides used in massive coca plantations.
Rewilding the Cloud Forest
Today, places like Gocta Natura Reserve are replanting native species of trees and plants, creating habitat for endangered and endemic species of birds, monkeys and even palm trees. One of the most famous endemic species in Cocachimba is the Marvelous Spatuletail Hummingbird, which only lives in the Utcubamba River Valley. Read more about Gocta Natura’s rewilding work on their website.
The Marvelous Spatuletail Hummingbird
Yes, marvelous is part of its name and yes, it really is marvelous. It’s also Cocachimba’s most famous endemic species.
Breakfast begins with fruit and homemade granola, with plenty of locally grown coffee.
Mornings at Gocta Natura
Breakfast at Gocta Natura is a several course experience, which I highly recommend planning at least an hour for breakfast because it’s served with a view of Gocta Falls. Two trees are part of the seating area and birds flit through as if the tables were part of the forest.
Breakfast at Gocta Natura
Breakfast includes coffee, fruit juice, fresh fruit, granola, yoghurt, eggs made to order, bread, cheese, ham, honey, butter and jam. Call ahead if you have other requests.
Even if it’s rainy later in the day you have a good chance of clear weather for breakfast. Mornings at Cocachimba tend to be sunny in the dry season and less rainy in the rainy season. Since this is cloud forest, you can expect it to be cloudy any time of year, and afternoon rain is possible even during the dry season.
On rainy afternoons, settle by the fire in the lodge.
I can’t recommend Gocta Natura more highly.
Make reservations directly on the Gocta Natura Reserve website.
